Pashinyan denies Armenia role in anti-Russian acts
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has rejected accusations from Moscow that Yerevan is engaging in “unfriendly” actions, saying many parties seek a crisis in bilateral ties. He insisted Armenia is not Russia’s ally on the Ukraine issue and defended hosting Ukraine’s president at a recent summit.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday pushed back against Russian allegations that his government has taken “clearly unfriendly” steps toward Moscow, asserting that Yerevan has not been involved in any anti-Russian activities.
Responding to Shoigu’s accusations
Speaking at a briefing, Pashinyan said, “There are many people who want a crisis” in Russian-Armenian relations, according to state news agency Armenpress. His remarks followed accusations from Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, who pointed to Armenia’s accession to the International Criminal Court, the extradition of Russian citizens to third countries, “the deliberate worsening of conditions for Russian economic operators,” and the use of a European Political Community summit platform in Yerevan by Kyiv to issue threats against Russia.
EAEU membership and Ukraine stance
Addressing Armenia’s place in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Pashinyan said only Yerevan can decide whether to stay or leave the bloc. “We can discuss any questions that arise, and I assume our partners may have some, and we will respond to all of them patiently,” he said. On the Ukraine war, he stressed that Armenia is not Russia’s ally. Defending the decision to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a May summit in Yerevan, Pashinyan asked: “Excuse me — wasn’t he supposed to visit Armenia? When Armenia was in conflict with Azerbaijan, didn’t the president of Azerbaijan visit Russia?”
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Diplomatic fallout over Zelenskyy’s remarks
Dozens of leaders attended the European Political Community summit in Yerevan in early May, alongside a separate EU-Armenia meeting. During the event, Zelenskyy warned that Ukrainian drones could fly over Moscow on May 9, when Russia held its World War II victory parade. Following the remarks, Russia summoned Armenia’s ambassador in Moscow, informing him of the “categorical unacceptability” of giving the Ukrainian president a platform to issue what Moscow described as “terrorist threats.”
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